As the rains slowly ease up and the weather gets warmer, spring has finally arrived after such a chilly, long winter. Welcoming the changes spring brings, these five refreshing games provide the perfect pastime this spring season.
ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS (2020)
No spring games list is complete without Animal Crossing: New Horizons. An iconic installment of the Animal Crossing franchise, it’s a cute, casual, social simulation game. As one of the first residents of a deserted island, you work with Nook Inc. to develop the island from remote and empty to bursting at the seams with life. With a real-time season feature, now is the perfect time to play the game and emerge into its rendition of spring.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has adorable characters and laid-back gameplay that goes where the player wants it to, whether it’s building relationships with the villagers to developing the best island yet. With returning characters and features from previous Animal Crossing games and some new ones that keep it refreshing, it’s an iconic game that elevates spring to the next level.
UNPACKING (2021)
Unpacking is a meditative game where the player, like the title says, unpacks. This calm, idyllic game fulfills the spring cleaning desire as the player follows their female protagonist through several key years of her life as you strategically unpack, organize, and reorganize her stuff. The gameplay, while fairly simple, requires the player to carefully think through the placement of all of the protagonist’s various objects and maintain some attention to detail, but is ultimately very undemanding and relaxing.
While the gameplay itself focuses on home decoration and organization, there is also a subtle storyline going on as well that is really interesting — the player can celebrate the protagonist’s victories and her losses, all discovered as you go through her stuff.
A YEAR OF SPRINGS (2021)
Following three young women in Japan through three springs, A Year of Springs is a casual visual novel trilogy chock-full of emotions and an exploration of identity and belonging. This game is a stunning depiction of the lived experiences and feelings of members of the LGBTQ+ community, rendered through a straightforward gameplay experience and a simplistic, yet cute art style.
The first chapter of A Year of Springs is available for free to try, and is a great way to experience some of the game firsthand without spending money — though at $4.99, it’s fairly cheap anyways. With such poignant themes and direct connections to spring, A Year of Springs is an emotional game that is perfect for the season.
A mild content warning for discussion of topics such as transphobia and homophobia.
TURNIP BOY COMMITS TAX EVASION (2021)
The title in and of itself is pretty self-explanatory — Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a humorous game where the player plays as a little turnip boy that’s committed tax evasion and is dedicated to continuing his crimes as a menace to society. With entertaining gameplay and multiple puzzles, bosses, and story, the game is an enjoyable plant and vegetable-themed game that’s sure to charm.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is delightfully retro, with such a vibrant, endearing art style that makes the game a fun one to play during the spring. Whether for a full playthrough or a quick palate cleanser, this game is one that you’ll be coming back to and itching to see more of.
BEHIND THE FRAME: THE FINEST SCENERY (2021)
Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery is a touching yet heart-wrenching puzzle game where the player follows a young artist on the verge of completing her final piece for a gallery submission. As the painting progresses, a poignant tale unfolds before the player’s eyes.
This story-driven game’s puzzles are yet again, relatively straightforward but with such beautiful art it’s hard to complain. With visuals that are distinct yet reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s iconic art style, Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery is a stirring narrative coupled with gorgeous art that’s perfect for the spring season.
As spring ushers in a new season of growth and beauty, these games are sure to accentuate the best experiences of the season.